Fighting With My Family review by Bobby Blakey
The world of the WWE is that of action and entertainment like only they can. There have been so many superstars that have surpassed just their in ring personas and into pop culture icons. Now one of the biggest in the not only wrestling, but also Hollywood Dwayne Johnson is producing an all-new film through his 7 Bucks Entertainment along with WWE Studios, to bring the story of WWE Diva Paige to the big screen. The film stars Florence Pugh, Lena Headey, Nick Frost, Jack Lowden, Vince Vaughn and Dwayne Johnson with Stephen Merchant leading the charge as both writer and director. Could this movie do justice to Paige’s legacy and career or will it be down for the three count?
Fighting With My Family follows reformed gangster Ricky, wife Julia, daughter Paige and son Zak as they make a living wrestling together in tiny venues. When Paige and Zak get the opportunity to try out for WWE, the family grabs a once-in-a-lifetime chance to turn their wildest dreams into a dazzling future. However, brother and sister quickly discover that to become superstars, both their talent and their relationship will be put to the test. For those that do not know, before Paige became a WWE superstar there was a documentary following her and her wrestling family in their home town leading up to her actual hiring by the WWE. This film takes that documentary and amps it up to tell her true story in a way that brings the laughs and works to perfection.
Whether you are a wrestling fan or not, this film is more about fighting for your dreams, loyalty and just being true to yourself in a story that will have you laugh, crying and cheering right up until the very end. The entire cast do a great job with Florence Pugh carrying the majority of the weight. Not only does she bring great emotion to the role, but also has great chemistry with co-star Jack Lowden who plays her brother. Their scenes are some of the best showcasing not only
their deep connection, but also the rivalry that pushed them both ahead. I loved seeing Vince Vaughn in a toned down role like this who plays an important figure in Paige’s career and brings some great moments to her story.
The entire family dynamic offers up some great moments and you instantly believe they are a family. If you’ve seen the documentary they did a great job with casting as well as overall performances to bring these people to life. There are clearly moments here that are embellished and changed slightly for the movie, but it still delivers the story as it needs to be told and ended up being packed full with everything you want in a movie and even things you didn’t know you wanted. Filled with laughs, heart, emotions, and plenty of suplexes and body slams, Fighting With Your Family is an unexpected treat that should be seen by everyone.
In addiiton to the film this release includes bonus content including deleted & extended scenes, gag reel, commentary and featurettes taking you behind bringing this story to life. Grab your copy of Fighting With My Family when it hits Blu-ray and DVD on May 14th from Universal and MGM.